Littlest Pet Shop: Come with Me!
by Tomomimi
Summary: After playing a game, Russell and Zoe find themselves far away from the others, leaving them stranded alone together. Being in the middle of nowhere, they have a great distance to go, and they have to survive together, as well as avoid dangerous threats. Will they make it? Together? Initially written by Russell 03, then translated and continued by me.
1. The Prologue

**I have not been updating Littlest Pet Shop: A Day Off Work for a while, and I apologize. I have just been through some depression and stress with things, so I took a break. I'm back to writing normally though. While I'm writing new chapters for Littlest Pet Shop: A Day Off Work, I also want to write chapters for this story.**

 **This is a Russell x Zoe story. Ironically, this story has a history (or story) of its own. Basically, this story already exists… in Russian, on a Russian fanfiction website. After getting permission from a good friend who originally wrote the story and goes by Russell_03, I offered to translate the chapters and finish the story as it is unfinished. So, the main credit goes to Russell_03 for writing the story.**

 **I don't know Russian though, so I just used an online translator. Honestly, I still think I did a great job. I have translated chapters 1 to 4, and continued the story onwards. We hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for the seventeenth chapter of Littlest Pet Shop: A Day Off Work.**

It was a moonlit night. There was complete silence, as if somebody had muted all sounds, like on a video recording. But something then broke this piece: someone's quiet whisper, along with crackling bushes.

"I cannot do this anymore!" was heard from the bushes on the right. It sounded more like a howl rather than someone's speech.

"Be patient. We're almost home," another dry voice answered stiffly. Apparently, the person with this voice was very irritated with this whining, "Plus, don't forget this was all your idea! If it wasn't for you, we would've been sleeping peacefully at home!"

For a moment, there was complete silence again. But then from the glad came out two silhouettes, resembling a hedgehog and a dog. But look at the state of them! From head to toe was dirt, and they were plastered with burdock! And indeed, they looked very tired and hungry judging from the looks and motion. The moonlight lit them, and they were much more visible now. Both the hedgehog and the dog were covered in scratches and scuffs, and the violet (yes, it was purple) dog had fur torn off from the ear.

"I seem to be dying!" the dog howled again. For believability, she fell to the ground and closed her eyes. The hedgehog wasn't convinced though.

"Are you kidding?" he responded, rolling his eyes as usual, "Zoe, we're almost there. We've overcome mountains and many obstacles! And when we only have a couple of blocks to go, you want to give up?!"

He abruptly picked up this purple dog named Zoe. But she then gave a scream of pain as a result. It seems the hedgehog, lifting her, had touched one of her numerous wounds.

"I'll get up, I'll get up!" she snapped rudely.

 _Good,_ thought the hedgehog. He also thought about something else, but when he heard "Are you coming or not, Russell?", he set out on his way to his companion.

"Soon, we'll find the others. We haven't seen them for so long… I wonder if they forgot about us. What did our owners do? Well, we'll finally find out."


	2. How it all Began

"I have good news for you, pets! Today, we're going to the park!" announced Blythe after she entered the day camp. All the pets jumped with joy from hearing this news.

"Um… Do we really need to go there?" asked Sunil, "it's damp and cold outside."

"Come on, Sunil. Don't be such a bore! It'll be fun!" optimized Pepper as she was delighted with Blythe's offer. It seems that everyone but Sunil had the idea to taste.

The pets squealed when they were finally taken out for a walk, and as Sunil said: it was damp and slightly dirty outside. After all, it did rain last night. But did that stop the pets?

"So, here we are," announced the girl, releasing the leashes of these adorable beasts to freedom.

They all fled and did their business. Minka jumped in the trees, like all ordinary monkeys. Sunil stayed on the bench and talked with Blythe; he finds it calmer. Vinnie threw the Frisbee at Zoe. It's a favorite activity for dogs! Zoe even threw the Frisbee back at Vinnie, and he attempted to catch it with his tongue, but he needed up flying away with the Frisbee! Russell was reading his book under a tree, and Pepper was sharing her fresh batch of jokes to Penny Ling. After a while, the panda had an idea.

"Hey, let's all play hide and seek," suggested Penny Ling. Everybody liked the idea and supported. Penny Ling offered to be the seeker, so everybody else would be the hiders.

"Just don't run away," Blythe warned them, "Russell, watch out for them."

"You can count on me, Blythe."

"Count already!" Pepper sure was impatient to start the game.

"Okay! One… Two…"

Everyone ran away in different directions. Minka climbed a tree, and was followed by Vinnie. Pepper hid the trash can.

"Ha! They'll look for me the longest," Zoe said as she grinned to herself. The dog had found herself a great place: a van with vases near the entrance. She flew there quickly, wanting to try a new place as soon as possible.

"Where is she going?" Russell asked himself as he spotted Zoe going towards the van in the distance. He had a bad feeling about this and then rolled to Zoe. She climbed into one of the vases, leaving Russell no choice but to go after her in the vase.

"Why are you hiding in here?!" he began scolding at Zoe while being in the same place she was.

"What are you doing here?! This is my place to hide!" She said.

"Blythe said not to go far! What if this van goes?!"

"Oh, come on. It's not going to–" Before she could finish speaking, the van doors closed and the sound of the engine was heard. This was bad!

"Too late! Come on!" yelled Russell at the top of his lungs.

Together, they got out of the vase and tried to open the door.

"Ugh! It's useless…" Zoe said in defeat after a while.

"Hm! Why did you get in the van?!"

"You're blaming me _now?!"_

"Well, I have no one else to blame!"

"Hmm!" The Cavalier Kind Charles Spaniel – Zoe's breed – turned away from the hedgehog. She was offended, but not at the fact that she was shouted at; she still felt guilty, although she didn't want to admit it before her "fellow traveler".

Russell, in the meantime, was looking for a way to get out of here. Suddenly, he noticed a hook at the top of the door that would open the door.

"Zoe, help me get that hook over there."

"Oh! Fantastic idea!"

She rolled a couple of pots and vases to help the two pets climb on them. There were almost there, but thanks to the amount of noise they were making with the pottery, the drivers in the van acknowledged the noise and stopped the van.

"Oh dear," commented Russell.

Two people opened the back doors of the van and saw these uninvited pets, so they took them out and tossed the two to the sidelines.

"Unworthy pests! Why don't you just die already?!" commented one of the people.

"Let's just leave them here to rot," suggested the other.

"Yeah."

The two drivers closed the van doors and entered the van, driving along the road and leaving the pets behind.

Well, it appears Russell and Zoe are left on the sidelines now. All around them was just a clean field and the only road – an endless, empty road.

"Where are we?"

"I have no idea… But it seems now we have such a long way back now…"


	3. It's Time to Go Back

It was quiet all around. Not even passing cars every now and then. Along the route, two errant travelers traveled: Zoe and Russell.

"I cannot do this anymore! I think I'm dying!" whined Zoe. The hedgehog was only annoyed by it.

"Shut up!" the latter one yelled as he could not stand her, "You better shut up! Who got us into this incomprehensible alteration, huh?! Who got us sticking out in the middle of the roads and field?! And you still whine that you feel bad! How do you think _I_ feel?!"

The dog looked at him with astonished eyes for a while, and then burst into tears. Russell looked and softly; he realized what had come over him and what he just did to her.

"Come on…" he said softly, guiltily hiding his eyes. To his surprise, Zoe got up and silently trailed after him. He did feel bad for her. He knows she didn't mean to leave them stranded here.

After a while, the sun began to sink into the horizon. All this time, the travelers walked in silence. Only now, the hedgehog began to speak.

"We need to stop and find a place to spend the night. It's not safe to stay close to the road."

"How about staying in the line?"

"What line? I gave nothing–"

He didn't have time to finish speaking, as Zoe already rushed from her seat and rushed off somewhere. Yes, and so fast, that Russell had no choice but to follow her, continually stopping just to catch his breath.

"Hey, wait!"

After a while, Zoe stopped and waited for her boyfriend. That barely dragged his paws.

 _And she thought she was dying,_ he thought. _I think it's already clear._ But he was more likely to die than be someone cheerful and not tired from all this running. Although, why compare the dog and the hedgehog? They are different beasts – some are human friends, while others prefer a secret life in the forests. While some can perfectly mask themselves with silence and color, other cannot sit out for even minutes in silence.

Okay, I think that's enough comparison. But before Russell could properly speak to his girlfriend, she again rushed somewhere while saying the words "Catch up!"

"Ugh! Someday, I'll kill her!"

"Stop!" yelled Russell as he tried to catch up again. This time, he just rolled up into a ball. Yes, yes, for the first time, he just forgot about such an amazing opportunity.

Five minutes later, Zoe stopped quickly, but she immediately regretted it. Straight into her back crashed a thorny ball: Russell. She screamed in pain and jumped, but Russell only looked indifferently; he got used to the fact that everyone disliked his thorns.

"…Is that all?" he asked without interest when Zoe stopped jumping from the pain and finished pulling his spikes out of her fur.

"Yeah…" she nodded, "…I think we'll sleep here."

"How are we–" He had just noticed the forest standing right next to the road.

"Let's run!" cried the little dog.

"No! No more of that!" cried out Russell, "I've had enough of that!"

"Okay, okay…"

The two pets resolutely turned off the road and plunged into the forest together.

The forest itself represented exclusively leafy trees – most of them were birches. Poplars, such as willows, blackberries, et cetera, were also present. The grass was low and there was a pleasant scent coming from the berries. After all, July is a month of berries. But even so, there was another smell in the air; it smelt strange and alarming.

"Do you smell something weird?" asked Zoe, acknowledging this scent.

"I only smell the forest," replied Russell with a shrug, then both pets proceeded to seek refuge. They crossed a stream that ran quietly in a stone gully. Next, they met a large oak tree, with a large nest located on it. After a while, they came across a fallen tree. It was very old and rotten, and inside, a cavity formed, which resembled a cave. From above there was a hole, which apparently was once like a duplex. But it appears no one lives there anymore.

"How about this tree?" suggested Zoe.

"This is a good spot," admired Russell, "You know, I read in a book about survival, that to prevent freezing, you can pull off the moss and sleep on it."

"I'll take care of that!" assured Zoe as she ran to the thickly growing moss on the other side of the tree. She grabbed them, and she could place so much on the empty space. Meanwhile, Russell went out and about to pick up berries, because they need food to eat. Afterwards, he returned to the tree, where Zoe had already prepared a nice place to sleep.

They both sat down together for a bit, and Russell noticed Zoe feeling sad. But he knew why. In fact, Zoe was a little teary. Russell admits that he has been harsh on her lately.

"I…" Zoe began, "I don't know why we ended up like this… This is all my fault, darling… I'm sorry…"

To Zoe's surprise, she felt Russell affectionately caressing her check with a smile.

"It's okay, Zoe. Things happen. I know you never meant for this to happen. I'll be honest: I have been harsh, and I'm sorry about that. Let's just forget about it and try to survive and return. Okay?"

Zoe appreciated this so much from her boyfriend, so she went forward and gave him a sweet cuddle and a kiss. This felt so special to Russell, and it made him smile widely.

Both saying goodnight to each other, they both went to bed together. Without understand how, Russell affectionately embraced Zoe for both their comfort, and they fell asleep together…

Meanwhile, somewhere else, in a parishioner, were some foxes, and the following was heard:

"Catch them… and bring them here…"


	4. An Unexpected Meeting

It was another day, and Zoe went ahead. Throughout the journey was only white, fluffy snow. But she breathed only cold emptiness. It creates the feeling you're walking in cold emptiness. And because of the strong wind and blizzard, you can't see the sky at all. From this point, it's getting very creepy. But for some reason, the snow didn't touch the path, which was covered in sand, like a forest sand trail with a grove. But here is no green around; no grass, no trees – just a cold, snowy desert.

Digging through the snow, the purple dog didn't get any snowflakes, but she froze as if her head had plunged into icy water. The blizzard formed something like a funnel, or rather: a tunnel. The snow served as the walls and ceiling, and the path was the ground, like the place where people walk, build rails or travel trains on.

Zoe proceeded, but she couldn't control herself as her paws carried her forward. Suddenly she saw a white spot in the distance. She was surprised how she could see it, since everything else in her sight was white too. But curiosity arose in her, and without realizing, she moved in a faster pace, and she was soon running. The spot grew by the second, and formed into a silhouette after a while. A few moments later, Zoe was ready to argue that that the silhouette was a little thing, and moreover, she knew for sure that this strange object was a cat. But she wasn't so sure about its sex. It sat, dropping its tail. Our heroine almost had reached the subject, really wanting to know who it was, and what they were doing in such a strange place, but something stopped her. All around, she sank in the darkness for a moment but then, she said her friend Russell in a pale veil. His face was something worried, and he kept glancing from side to side, afraid of something.

 _What's wrong,_ thought Zoe, not daring to ask this question in the ear.

The dog rubbed her eyes and decided to look back. The state she was in no way resembled the dog from yesterday evening. Yesterday, she fell asleep under a cozy log on a moss bed next to the berries, but today, she is in a damp cave, covered in moss. It turns out moss does not create a normal bed.

"Um… Where are we? What if–" She tried to ask a question.

"Tshshsh…!" her friend squeaked at her, preventing every attempt to speak. He was waiting for something.

As curious as Zoe was, it all became clear ten minutes later: A proud beast had entered the cave. He had grey hair, and a series of sharp fangs. I think we all know that this beast is indeed a wolf. Next to him were two smaller wolves. They were brutally grinning, but restrained themselves. The wolves saw the strict look on their boss' face and did not even dare to make an extra move. The chief sat down in front of our travelers and, after waiting for the others to sit down, spoke.

"My name is Gray Fang. I am the leader of the pack, who owns the territory you are in. I strongly advise you both to quickly leave, so we will not answer for ourselves. You have until sunset." He growled at them afterwards, and then turned and withdrew from the cave.

A moment of silence passed and the two pets wanted to ensure the wolves had left. As soon as they were completely sure of it, Zoe hissed.

"Mmph! As usual: No greetings, no answers – well, as they say. They didn't even want to listen to us! How could we have known this was their territory?! And not only _their_ territories!" She singled out the word "their" especially; all forests are common.

"You're right. Well, let's just make sure the situation doesn't take another wrong turn and get it over with. We should leave; they're wolves, and wolves are predators. They consume small animals like us – even alive. And–"

"Well, what do they think of themselves?!" The dog didn't want to put up with this, "As if they are something better than us!"

"Listen, Zoe: Wolves are dangerous, and I don't want to end my life far from home. We're leaving immediately!" Russell snapped! Then, he moved to the exit and saw a forest completely unfamiliar to him. Behind him came his friend.

"Hah. Now, where do we go? We are here for the first time." Zoe said. The hedgehog could not squeeze out a word; he knew Zoe was right: they don't know anything about this new land. They don't know where came come, where they were. They don't even know which direction leads home. For a moment, Russell felt so hopeless; so weak in this vast world. For the first time, he felt do small compared to the Earth. And how small it is in comparison with the Universe itself!

But feeling this lasted only for a moment. It was impossible to miss a single opportunity. There was no one around, which was good. But, what if the wolves decide to kill them without waiting for sunset? That thought frightened both. Silently, Russell moved forward, and Zoe, as if feeling his patronage over himself, silently followed him.

It's been about two since our travelers have started wane ring among the trees. Their branches seem to be tightening to themselves. Amid them, to cannot squeeze into them, let alone talking about animals like a dog or a hedgehog. Dark spines, hanging on a branch of spruce, pricked everyone and everything that touched them even a little. They did not spare anyone. There were no beautiful flowers, covering them with their own crowns, no small, helpless herbs, not even mosses or lichens. Firs flooded the entire huge area. The soil beneath them was oxidized and filled with fallen and yellow "leaves". Those do not rot very long, and form a pungent, but at the same time, litter. Of any other plant, you can only see horsetail and moss here, which is rare on tree trunks.

And thus, with their paws, Russell and Zoe both entered the darkness, hungry, but still somehow moving forward. Unfortunately, all was unsuccessful as Zoe's belly started rumbling. Russell acknowledged this, and for the first time in two hours, he made a stop.

"We need to eat," he said firmly.

"Well, there's clearly nothing around – unless you suggest eating pine needles?" slowly stretched her companion.

"She's right," Russell muttered under his breath. "It would be better if we died a quick death in the stomachs of wild, then being tormented by hunger."

Both thoughts were then interrupted by the rustle of pine needles; coming from somewhere behind. Zoe growled, and Russell aimed his thorns on two uninvited guests. Both looked very strange; a bit skinny and adventurous, and it all happened in just two days. They looked like the wolves that had grown thin over the winter. They look just as angry, like a predator, who saw a man in their possessions. They waited for something; something big; something that would deprive them of their lives in a couple of seconds, but in response, they heard this…

"Stop! Calm down, I will not harm you; I just want to help."

A lean wolf came out of the shadows. Although his ribs were visible, the wool glistened and glossed like a gray-black waterfall. It was thick and long. There was a scar on their face. Their amber eyes did not express any fear – on the contrary, they can read anxiety and the desire to help. This wolf felt sorry for the two pets; they looked so terrible. Even the wolf in comparison with the pets looked much neater.

"My name is Maurice. I will help you get out of here."


	5. Untrusted Instincts

Russell and Zoe were in front of a big wolf who claims to be named Maurice, offering help to get them out.

"How? How can we trust you?" questioned Russell, trying to cover up Zoe in defence while being aware of his own surroundings, in case this was all a trap. This was a wolf in front of them, and since they've encountered some other wolves earlier who pretty much threatened their life, they are not very keen on letting one on their side. However, the expression on this wolf showed honesty.

"You have to leave soon. This is a dangerous place for a hedgehog and a dog like you. This place is filled with wild, hungry wolves such as I. However, I am one of the sane ones, and I know what is right for the both of us. It is clear you are not from around here."

Russell lowered the thorns he was holding as weapons, feeling slightly more comfortable. This wolf had yet to eat them, so they deserve to be heard from. "Well, you are right about that. How will you get us out?"

Zoe quietly whimpered in fear, but Russell briefly petted his girlfriend to calm her down and reassure he was here for her. If Maurice did turn out to be bad, Russell would make sure he was the first target.

Maurice claims to have experience. "I have been here and around for years – long enough to know my way around and any shortcuts. I know the nearest exit."

He turned around, beginning to walk away while giving the order: "Follow me, small creatures. Let me take you to the exit while we talk."

Russell and Zoe glanced at each other, gradually nodding and agreed to trust this wolf. To be honest, this wolf was their best bet. It was a no-brainer to accept his help, because declining it would only confirm soon death upon them.

After a few minutes of walking, Maurice asked the two creatures riding him: "Where did you two fellow creatures come from?"

Russell and Zoe shivered while giving the answer: "D-Downtown City…"

Maurice stuttered his walk, and it was easy enough for Russell to notice. It must have been the answer to the question. "What's the matter, Maurice?"

Maurice answered honestly while trying to maintain his expression, "I do not know the location of this "Downtown City" you speak of."

"What?!"

"Do not worry. What matters is that I get you out of here. Wolves are still out and about. I will still offer help once we get out."

Zoe was curious to why Maurice wanted to help these pets, despite him being a good wolf in general. _There has got to be some kind of catch,_ Zoe thought to herself with suspicion as she focused on the wolf they are on. Comparing the sizes of each other, she is more afraid of him than the other wolves now. _I don't like where this is going…_

"How did you end up here from this Downtown City?" wondered the helpful wolf.

Russell glared at Zoe, who made her only look away in anger and embarrassment.

"Well, _she_ got us into a van and took us in the middle of nowhere, far away." Explained Russell.

Zoe turned to Russell and opened her mouth to object, but she remained quiet. She can't really blame Russell, because he had done nothing that could lead them here. It really was _all_ her fault. Zoe unnoticeably looked down and almost cried in guilt, fear and sadness. Maurice understood it was all a matter of accidence. But there was no time to think further of it for now.

"Quick, hide in my fur!" Harshly whispered the wolf.

"What?" said Zoe, losing her track of thought, "Why?"

"Just do it!"

Hastily, Russell and Zoe tucked themselves inside Maurice's back fur and laid as flat as possible to avoid sticking out. Russell did so by calming down, which allowed his spikes to lower themselves.

Maurice walked himself towards a few wolves who were in the way of the track. Maurice couldn't afford to go through the bushes, because if notices, it might give away that he was trying to avoid being noticed, and meant he'd be up to something – which he was. Walking openly ironically showed he had nothing to hide.

Two wolves acknowledged his existence and turned back to each other as Maurice was just another one of the pack. It's not like he was carrying any food on him or anything…

He walked past in between the wolves to show dominance against them, and while it seemed to work, it was safety in numbers, so Maurice would still be in big trouble if he had made the wrong move.

A few seconds after passing them… he was halted by the wolves who he had just passed.

"Hey, Maurice."

Maurice acted as calm as possible, and turned to the wolves. Did they know about the dog and hedgehog hiding in his fur? Or did he give out enough suspicion to attract attention? A few more wolves came out of the bushes around him in curiosity. Him, Zoe and Russell might have caught themselves in a bigger crowd and much more attention than they figured… How will they get out of this – if they do…

Meanwhile, at the Littlest Pet Shop day camp, the five pets were there, and none of them were happy in the slightest bit… Especially Blythe… All were tearful…


End file.
